Podcasts and Their Awesomeness -- A Guide

Everyone should be listening to podcasts! Though that begs the question, what exactly *is* a podcast?

First of all, where did the word Podcast stand for? In a 2004 Guardian newspaper article by Ben Hammersley, he played with terms for this "Internet Radio on Demand" concept that began popping up due to the popularity of Apple's iPod. (iPod+Broadcast=Podcast).

A podcast in the simplest terms is a audio/video show that focuses on niche topics. Everything from daily news shows like "The Daily by the New York Times" to cooking shows, politics, comedy, religion, technology, and more. The majority of podcasts are available for free! These shows are focused on what their audiences want to hear and are largely supported by the listeners they address. You can find Podcasts on any topic. Some are released daily, monthly, or weekly. You can check out their release schedule in their description. Best of all, you can listen to any of their previous shows any time you'd like!

There are a lot of different apps you can use to listen to podcasts on your smartphone or tablet - many allow you to listen via their website as well!

For iPhones and iPads, use the Podcasts app. (it actually comes installed on newer devices). In the Podcasts app you can explore the different featured Podcasts or search for a topic on your own

For Android phones and tablets, try the Stitcher app. Get that from Google Play. In Stitcher, find a Podcast you'd like to listen to and click the plus sign (+), to add it to your Favorites List. Now go to the Favorites List. Tell it to download new episodes by clicking the gear in the upper right corner.

Podcasts are a great value that many people are still not aware of! So today, I want to share with you one of my favorite podcasts called "Flash Forward". Flash Forward is a monthly podcast where the host explores possible future scenarios with experts on the topics such as, what would happen if California could actually secede from the United States? What would a cashless future look like? Or even some more somber ones like what would happen if all the volcanoes on Earth erupted at once?

I encourage you to check out the Podcast app on your smartphone/computer in iTunes and find something you might like to try it out!